South Chowdene Care Home - Barchester Healthcare

23/10/2025

Our residents and colleagues enjoyed a day of light hearted fun as they came together for a series of games, hearty chatter and lots of laughter.

Who knew a balloon could cause such a stir and raise so many smiles.

If you or a loved one would like to find out more about life at South Chowdene. Please visit our website at:

https://www.barchester.com/home/south-chowdene-care-home/life-at-our-home

22/10/2025

Calling all quizzers! Join us on Wednesday, 29th October, at 2.30pm for an exciting virtual quiz.

We will link up with all Barchester care homes and hospitals across the country for Barchester’s Big Quiz.

We will take on our sister homes to test our general knowledge and determine who reigns as the ultimate brainbox among us.

The event will be available to watch via YouTube live, please contact the home for more information.

For more information on our homes, please visit https://brnw.ch/21wWPsP
https://brnw.ch/21wWPsO

21/10/2025

🐶🐾 Residents Welcome Therapy Dog Freddie 🐶🐾

Residents were delighted to welcome their furry friend Freddie today.

He’s such a joy to be around, bringing smiles, comfort and plenty of cuddles to everyone.

We can’t wait for Freddie’s next visit!



To find out more about life at our home, please visit our website: https://www.barchester.com/home/south-chowdene-care-home

18/10/2025

We are happy to announce our next Open Day event, which will be hosted at the home on Saturday 25th October.

We would like to invite you to meet our friendly and dedicated team and to find out more about the care services available at our home, alongside our person-centred well-being and life enrichment programmes.

If it matters to you, it matters to Barchester.

To book an appointment please call 0191 4910 861 or pop in on the day.

To find out more about life at South Chowdene, please visit our website: www.barchester.com/home/south-chowdene-care-home

17/10/2025

Congratulations to our ‘caring’ colleague on their ‘Employee of the Month’

Residents and staff at South Chowdene have applauded Iuliana, Deputy Manager who was named ‘Employee of the Month’ for October for going above and beyond in their role.

Iuliana was nominated by residents, colleagues and residents’ relatives who felt she really deserved extra recognition for the amazing work she does every day.

For more information on life at South Chowdene, please visit our website www.barchester.com/home/south-chowdene-care-home

15/10/2025

🤸‍♀️🎈 Keeping Active 🤸‍♀️🎈

Residents enjoyed a fun-filled day of balloon volleyball, engaging games and light exercises.

Lots of laughter, smiles and gentle movement – a wonderful way to stay active and connected.

To find out more about life at our home, please visit our website: https://www.barchester.com/home/south-chowdene-care-home

15/10/2025

Calling all quizzers! Join us on Wednesday, 29th October, at 2.30pm for an exciting virtual quiz.

We will link up with all Barchester care homes and hospitals across the country for Barchester’s Big Quiz.

We will take on our sister homes to test our general knowledge and determine who reigns as the ultimate brainbox among us.

The event will be available to watch via YouTube live, please contact the home for more information.

To find out more about life at our home, please visit our website: https://brnw.ch/21wWDlR

12/10/2025

Whether you're considering a short-term break or longer-term care, South Chowdene as just what you need. Expert care. Nutritious food. Great entertainment. Good company.

These are just some of the things that matter to residents and why they're proud to call South Chowdene their home.

Call now to book your appointment! And take a tour of our beautiful home.

For more information on life at South Chowdene, please visit our website: www.Barchester.com/homes/south-chowdene-care-home

10/10/2025

🎉 Awel-Y-Mor Celebrates Excellent Ratings 🎉

Awel-Y-Mor Care Home in , Swansea passed a recent Care Inspectorate Wales inspection with ‘Excellent’ ratings - the best possible ratings – across the board, after being praised for operating a safe, well-maintained, caring and well-led service.

The CIW report stated that there was a strong sense of belonging and teamwork in the home, nurtured by a very well-respected management team that encourages a positive culture.

Highlighted in the report was that the care staff knew residents well and were dedicated and driven to offering them the best possible care, going above and beyond to do so.

A relative commented: “I can’t speak highly enough about the place, they are so good at the little things, all the residents come first here. My loved one has a good life here.”

Our CEO, Dr Pete Calveley, visited Awel-Y-Mor to congratulate Rachael, General Manager, and her team on the home’s Excellent ratings and award every member of staff a £500 voucher to celebrate their achievement.

Huge congratulations to everyone at Awel-Y-Mor – what a fantastic achievement! 👏

Here are some of the highlights from the day.

08/10/2025

⭐ We’re Finalists for the National Care Awards ⭐

We’re delighted to share that Barchester Healthcare has been shortlisted in the Large Care Home Group category for this year’s National Care Awards.

The National Care Awards are the largest awards recognising excellence in the UK care sector, celebrating the very best people and companies across the sector.

A huge congratulations to Aila Evangelista from Atfield House Care Home in , London, a finalist in the Care Registered Nurse of the Year category, and to the entire team at Atfield House Care Home - Barchester Healthcare, also shortlisted for Dignity and Respect Care Home of the Year. 👏

We’re so proud of all our teams who work tirelessly to provide the very best care for residents, patients and their families every single day.

The winners will be announced on 7th November at Park Plaza London – good luck to all the finalists!

08/10/2025

🦇 Bat Talk with Rob Magee from Gwent Wildlife Trust 🦇

On Tuesday, 14th October, at 2.30pm, we’ll be joining Rob Magee, nature conservationist, currently leading the youth engagement programme at Gwent Wildlife Trust, for a fun and informative virtual Bat Talk.

We’ll explore what bats are, the different species found in the UK and around the world, and learn about their behaviour, diet, habitats and hibernation. We’ll also discover how to help bats and spot them in our local area.

We hope you’re as excited as we are!

The event will be available to watch via YouTube live, please contact the home for more information.

To find out more about life in our homes, please visit our website: https://brnw.ch/21wWsvc

07/10/2025

🖌️ Pinetree Residents Get Creative with Mosaic-Making 🎨

As part of their first home anniversary celebrations, and together with volunteers from partner company CBRE UK, colleagues and residents at Pinetree Care Home in set to work on a joint project to commemorate the occasion.

Residents were asked what they would like to do to celebrate and decided to create a beautiful mosaic sign for the home.

The project was a wonderful collaboration that everyone at the home could join in with. The end result is a fitting tribute to the home, which now hangs in reception for all the staff, residents and visitors to enjoy.

A resident commented: “It is so wonderful to try new hobbies, I had never made a mosaic before but I absolutely loved it and have been bitten by the bug! I can’t wait to have another go and see what else we can make. I really enjoyed sitting down with everyone else and working on something together, it gave us all a fantastic sense of achievement.”

What a beautiful mosaic! Well done to all involved. 👏

06/10/2025

**We are recruiting for an Activities Coordinator**

As an Activities Coordinator at South Chowdene, you’ll help to create a stimulating environment that enables us to deliver exceptional all-round care and support for our residents.

Our ethos is all about celebrating life, so you’ll help to devise imaginative, fun and motivational activities that suit every interest and ability.

This is an extremely rewarding role, part of your time as an Activities Coordinator will be spent getting to know our residents and their families before you create tailored activities programmes focused on maximising everyone’s wellbeing, independence and social engagement.

For more information and apply, visit Barchester Careers ⬇️⬇️
https://jobs.barchester.com/job/barchester/activities-coordinator-care-home-in-tyne-and-wear-82516

03/10/2025

♥️ The Power of Music: a heart-warming moment at Ochil Care Home ♥️

Colleagues and residents at Ochil Care Home in were over the moon to uncover a beautiful piece of history when they heard an original recording by one of their much-loved residents, Wilma, who used to be a professional singer years ago.

Wilma’s husband, Donald, had lovingly kept the original master copy of Wilma’s debut album which was recorded in 1996. Staff at the home helped Donald transfer the precious recording onto a CD to preserve it.

Everyone at the home watched the heart-warming moment when Wilma, who is living with dementia, realised the recording being played was her voice from almost thirty years ago. Her reaction was absolutely magical as her memory of that time in her life came flooding back.

What’s more, the video of that extraordinary moment showing the power of music to connect, has now been viewed over 65,000 times.

Such a beautiful moment! ✨

Ochil Care Home - Barchester Healthcare

01/10/2025

🥨🍻 Oktoberfest Celebrations 🥨🍻

Oktoberfest was a huge hit with residents, patients, families and visitors this year.

Our care homes and hospitals joined in the celebrations with themed decorations, live entertainment, community events and plenty of fun.

Our talented chefs and hospitality colleagues prepared a selection of pretzels and Bavarian dishes, all complemented by some refreshing cold beers.

It was a day to remember - here are some of our favourite moments.

30/09/2025

☕💚 World’s Biggest Coffee Morning ☕💚

Colleagues, residents, patients, families and friends across the country came together to enjoy charity coffee mornings and bake sales, raising funds and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Our care homes and hospitals hosted a variety of community events, inviting everyone to catch up over a cuppa and a slice of something delicious, all for a great cause.

Residents and patients enjoyed spending time with friends and relatives, and members of the local community. Our talented chefs baked plenty of cakes, biscuits and pastries for everyone to sample.

The events were a great success – thank you to everyone who took part and helped support this important cause.

Here are some of our favourite moments. ✨

25/09/2025

As 30th September is the last Tuesday of this month, it is Coffee Morning time. Everyone is very welcome to join us for a cuppa, cake and games.
To find out more about life at South Chowdene please visit our website www.Barchester.com/home/South-Chowdene-care-home

24/09/2025

🖌️ Virtual V&A Make-along 🎨

In celebration of National Day of Arts in Care Homes, residents and patients across the country enjoyed a wonderful V&A Virtual Make-along experience with Holly from the V&A Learning team and designer-artist Rafin Jannat.

Taking inspiration from the South Asia Gallery at the museum, everyone had the chance to experiment with paints and pigments made from everyday ingredients, creating their own unique artworks.

It was a calming, creative experience that everyone truly enjoyed. A big thank you to the Victoria and Albert Museum team for leading such an inspiring session!

Here are some of our favourite highlights. ✨

National Activity Providers Association

22/09/2025

⭐ We’re Finalists in the UK Customer Experience Awards ⭐

It’s awards season and we’re thrilled to share that our talented Customer Experience Team has been shortlisted in not one, but two categories in the prestigious UK Customer Experience Awards:

💡 Best Use of Customer Insight
💻 Best Use of Technology

We’re proud that Barchester Healthcare is the only company from the health sector to be recognised in either of these categories. The winners will be announced at Wembley in October – wish us luck!

Our nomination for Best Use of Customer Insight comes from our Tell Barchester survey, which gathers invaluable feedback each year from more than 13,500 residents, patients and their families. Every single piece of feedback helps us shape and improve the care and services we provide.

In the Best Use of Technology category, our new Connex CRM system, powered by Salesforce, has been recognised for transforming how we manage every customer interaction – making the care journey seamless.

We’re so proud of our team and grateful to everyone who shared their feedback with us.

21/09/2025

World Alzheimer’s Day 2025 – Why It Matters More Than Ever 💜

World Alzheimer’s Day, observed annually on 21st September, is a global event dedicated to raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

With nearly 1 million people in the UK living with dementia, understanding, support and research have never been more important.

Alzheimer’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges faced by individuals and families living with Alzheimer’s, and the importance of early diagnosis and intervention.

At Barchester, our commitment to dementia care goes beyond World Alzheimer’s Day. We strive to make a difference every day, providing compassionate support, innovative programmes, and expert care for residents, patients and families.

To find out more, please see our latest blog here: https://www.barchester.com/help-and-advice/world-alzheimers-day-2025-why-it-matters-more-ever-barchester

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16/09/2025

⭐ Happy National Housekeeping Week ⭐

This week we’re celebrating the fantastic housekeeping teams across our care homes and hospitals.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise their dedication to keeping everything spotless and creating a welcoming environment for residents, patients, families and visitors.

Thank you to all our colleagues for their continuous hard work and support – you truly make a difference every day.

12/09/2025

🎉 Lotus Manor is Now Open 🎉

We’re excited to share that Lotus Manor Care Home in has opened its doors in style, with a Grand Opening performed by the Deputy Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Jane Tyson, in front of invited guests from the local community.

Our CEO, Dr Pete Calveley, and General Manager, Candy Guo, hosted the event and invited guests to view the stunning new 64-bed care home.

Designed with residents’ comfort in mind, Lotus Manor Care Home will offer residential support, respite stays and specialist dementia care, all delivered by a dedicated and passionate team of trained professionals.

Take a look at some of our favourite moments from the event. ✨

11/09/2025

🚑 Celebrating Emergency Services Day 🚒👏

Residents, patients, colleagues and visitors marked this year’s Emergency Services Day in style, recognising the contribution of local emergency services, volunteers and heroes.

Our homes and hospitals hosted a variety of community events, from coffee mornings to afternoon garden parties, inviting emergency services personnel to join for hot drinks and delicious home-made cakes.

Everyone had a wonderful time, visiting local emergency services sites, engaging in conversations and sharing inspirational stories of emergency services heroes, both past and present.